Motherly Investigation
by Ghostfudge160
Summary: Maddie has met her match. In order to figure out this 'secret' her son is hiding, she brings in Mr. Lancer to create a plan that can't fail. Throwing the one person that gets under Danny's skin into the investigation to get him to talk will only raise more questions. Will Maddie and Mr. Lancer figure out Danny's secret or will this secret forever be shrouded in mystery?


**Alright, this is my first fanfiction. Sadly, I do ****not**** own Danny Phantom, that amazing show belongs to Butch Hartman (you'd think since there is such a fallowing he would make another season or something!). This story may be terrible but at least I tried. if you have any suggestions for a one-shot or something please inform me. However, I will reject all slashes and romantic things. I am a girl who prefers the finer things like action and violence. :D insert evil laugh with dramatic music here**

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**1**

**Plan A**

**By: Ghostfudge160**

Maddie sat on the couch waiting silently for her son, Danny to come home. For the past year, he has come home with a numerous amount of scratched and bruises she pretended not to see, hoping the problem would go away on its own. Oddly, whenever she would think of confronting him about the injuries they were already gone. Lately, she hasn't seen many on her baby boy but every time she is caught looking at his wounds and he notices, Danny hides the injury even more. This was only one of the few mysteries about her boy. Danny was always coming home late after curfew and his grades have fallen significantly. In addition to this, he began having behavior problems. He would skip class, often not returning for at least and hour or not at all. Mr. Lancer called frequently informing her of these actions and stating that he always asked to use the restroom.

Early that day she formed a plan with Mr. Lancer in order to find the underlying cause of whatever was troubling Danny. There was a classroom in the school with a one-way window like in interrogations rooms. However, interrogating him would be useless for he would just shut down on her. Her plan involved a person she disliked but it was imperative she brought him in to this; nobody could get under Danny's skin like Vlad. Maddie hypothesized that Vlad was well aware of what was troubling Danny but she was also aware he would never tell her. She asked Vlad to watch over the kids since Jack was away to at a Ghost Convention and she would be leaving tomorrow night. On top of her request, which she knew Vlad wouldn't refuse she asked him to talk to Danny tomorrow at the school. This would give Danny and Vlad a false privacy where Maddie and Mr. Lancer could figure out what was wrong with Danny. In case Danny doesn't confess his problem Maddie would continue part two of her plan. This is where her absence from the family comes into play. Instead of leaving town, Maddie will be spending, a month at Mr. Lancer's house to observe the security cameras and bugging device she placed on Danny and the house. This would also help her figure out why Vlad gets under Danny's skin so much, other than hitting on her, by watching their reactions. This plan may be intruding on Danny's privacy but she knew he would be thanking her for it later in case it was gang or drug related. She highly doubted the latter but she wouldn't rule anything out yet.

Lost in her thoughts she hardly registered someone entering the house. The door squeaked slowly open and shut ever so quietly as Danny entered the house trying to be extremely quiet. Maddie glanced at the clock, before addressing the raven-haired boy who had just entered Fenton Works. "Where have you been young man? It is three hours past your curfew! Three hours, for Pete's sake!" Maddie reprimanded her son, failing to notice that he looked roughened up a bit as if he got into a fight.

"Sorry. I am really tired so I'll be going to bed now." Danny's shoulders slumped and his head dropped, his face covered in frustration as if he couldn't control that he was late. He started to make his way up the steps but Maddie called out to him making him stop halfway up.

"Don't go anywhere tomorrow. I'm driving you to the school in the morning to meet someone." Maddie explained briefly with a sigh of defeat. She watched as Danny opened his mouth to argue but thought better and closed his mouth. She watched as he nodded in understanding and went to his room. The door clicked shut a moment later. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and blew out another puff of air. Dragging herself up the stair after her son, she went to sleep herself. Sleep invaded her quickly.

Light streamed into her window the next day right into her eyes. Maddie stretched as she rolled out of bed and began her morning routine. Once the smell of breakfast began to fumigate the house, heavy footsteps came down the stairs and wondered into the kitchen. Danny's hair was even more unruly than usually due to him just having crawled out of his bed. Since it was a Saturday, there was no rush to get up.

"Good morning, sweetie!" Maddie exclaimed chirper for she was a morning person unlike her son who mumbled a "morning" back, barely audible. Once breakfast was finished and their bellies were full. Mother and son both got ready to head over to the school. Arriving at Casper High before Vlad just as planned, Maddie led Danny into the room Mr. Lancer and her set up. "I'll be with you shortly, Danny." She informed him before closing the door and going into the observation room that was the viewing room to watch Danny and Vlad interact and talk. Here, she made sure she was recording everything in case they discovered something.

Vlad showed up a few minutes earlier than Maddie told him too but it was fine. "Thanks for coming Vlad." Maddie told him in a light voice to butter him up. "Danny is behind the door. I'll lock it once you enter and if you discover or need anything give this number a call." Maddie explained handing him a slip of paper with a phone number scrawled out on it. Maddie purchased a throw away phone so she didn't have to give Vlad her real number. She wished him luck in finding out what was wrong with Danny before she led Vlad in.

Once the door was locked Maddie entered the observation room where Mr. Lancer was already in the room. She checked her equipment once more to make sure it was recording before she sat down. Leaning back in her chair she pulled out a notebook and pen, ready to take notes and enjoy the show.

"Hello, Daniel." Vlad greeted in his normal tone with a wide grin perched upon his lips.

"Vlad!" Danny exclaimed, surprised to see the billionaire here. He opened his mouth getting ready to ask the older hybrid why he was here when realization hit him. "Wait, did my mom ask you here to talk to me?" Disbelief was etched into Danny voice as he looked at Vlad in shock.

"Very good, Daniel. You are correct." Vlad praised the younger hybrid before launching into his dramatic explanation. "Dear Maddie was so desperate she called me to talk to you and find out what is wrong with you." Vlad placed his hand over his forehead dramatically before his hands returned to his sides. "What a predicament you put yourself into, Daniel. How will you get out of this one?" Vlad inquired his right eyebrow rising in question, "hmm?"

Danny glared at Vlad but said nothing as Vlad continued.

"What are we going to do about this, little badger?" Vlad asked as he took a seat across from Danny as his smirk declined slightly as the seriousness of the question.

"What do you mean _we_?" Danny asked irritation in his voice as he continued to glare at Vlad.

"We are both involved in this little predicament you are in. Your grades have fallen, your skipping class, you pass curfew, and you come home with bruises. Do not think your mother hasn't noticed these because she told me before I even came in here what she has noticed. What possible excuse could you come with to fit all those reason your mother even resorted to this? Hmm?" Vlad's irritation was made apparent as his voice rose slightly. His smirk slipping away into oblivion. "I keep on telling you to drop the silly hero act, dear boy, now look at what it had got you! Maddie is noticing, which is only one step away from discovering your secret and mine!" Vlad's voice rose even more until it dropped suddenly to a harsh whisper.

"Hey! It's not an act!" Danny shot back angrily, his eyes almost appearing to flash. "Besides I'll think of something." Danny leaned back in his chair. He seemed to be unconcerned with the situation. To lighten the mood and change topics to distract Vlad, Danny asked innocently, "so how is your cat Maddie?" Danny received a nasty look from Vlad, which only egged the teen on. A devilish grin spread across his face as he continued unfazed by Vlad's glare. "I bet she is lonely…I know!" Danny exclaimed snapping his fingers as he got an idea. "I'll get you a ginger cat with a blue bow and name it Jazz. A black and white cat can be me and I'll get you a big orange and black cat and name it Jack!" Danny finished in a fit of giggles. "You'll have the entire Fenton Family!"

Vlad gritted his teeth, seething in rage, "are you quite done?" his anger only rose as Danny continued to laugh uncontrollably, clutching his sides. It took a good minute for the teen to calm down. "You want to start another silly prank competition with me again with me, Daniel? You will never beat me." Vlad informed the boy with a ghost of a smirk returning to his face.

"Hey, I'm not the one who became mayor to get back at a teenager. You are supposed to be the adult; not stooping down to a fifteen year old's maturity level." Danny countered a humorous smirk on his lips. However, this quickly disappeared when Vlad shot Danny with a pink ectoblast making him fall out of his chair. "Ouch! See my point!" Danny confirmed as he set the chair back up and sat back down.

"You are the one who destroyed my new mansion as soon as it was built by sending the Guys in White after me!" Vlad shot pack a slight rage in his voice.

"You are the one who sent them to crash my room! Like I don't have problems enough! It's not my fault the ghosts keep on attacking me!" Danny made wild gestures with his hand as his voice rose in frustration.

"Maybe if you dropped the silly hero act like I said before and stopped sending them back into the Ghost Zone they wouldn't bother you!" Vlad exclaimed rolling his eyes.

"Maybe if you weren't such a Fruitloop!" Danny yelled at Vlad his eyes flashing green and anger.

"I am not a Fruitloop!" Vlad yelled back his eyes turning completely red, their face only inches from each other's.

The room fell into a tense silence as the two hybrids sat back down their eyes returning to normal but that is what happens when two archenemies sit in the same room together. The only form of entertainment was the newspaper that Vlad brought with him. Even though that left Danny to be bored. He wasted some time around the room. It was a basic classroom but most of the desks were gone so the only thing in the middle of the room was a round table with about four chairs where Vlad was sitting. A couple school desks were pushed against the wall along with a teacher's desk that sat at the front of the room, vacant.

"What are you planning on getting out of my mom for helping her, Plasmius?" Danny broke the silence putting his feet up on the table in a relaxed position as he questioned the man before him.

"Please Daniel, I've been telling you my goals since we have met." Vlad dismissed the boy as he turned a page of his newspaper.

"Yeah, yeah, marry my mom, kill my dad, and have me as your evil apprentice." Danny rolled his eyes. "It's not like you will ever achieve any of those."

"Then how about I make a deal with you." Vlad began as he set the newspaper aside to address Danny. He put his elbows on the table and leaned in slightly. "If you actually use you're head today and think things out I will stop trying to kill your father for a month. Sounds fair?" Vlad offered as he waited for Danny to respond.

Danny paused weighing out the pros and cons of the deal in his head before making a decision. "Deal," he agreed, shaking Vlad's hand before warning him. "Don't expect much improvement. I'm a bad student after all."

Vlad smiled in amusement, "only because you don't have time to study," he quipped back. "You would be an A student if you stopped playing the hero and focused on your studies like before." Vlad pointed out.

"I think saving lives is more important than whether I get good grades or not." Danny countered with a smirk.

Maddie continued to watch through the chalkboard with Mr. Lancer both gasping in shock. Vlad not only shot an ectoblast from his finger but his eyes also changed completely red for a second. Not to mention her own son's eyes turn neon green as well!

"This is just between us Mr. Lancer. We speak of this to no one." Maddie reminded Mr. Lancer who nodded his head in understanding.

Maddie turned back to her notes. About half the page was filled with questions about what Danny and Vlad were talking about, a few things Maddie noticed including the ghostly abilities Vlad presented, and Danny's eye color changed like Vlad's. Humans cannot have ghost powers but now Maddie second-guessed herself. '_Are they both ghosts?'_ Maddie thought but then quickly squashed the question. She wouldn't make any assumptions or conclusions for that was what blinded her before. She had to keep her mind open to any possibility no matter how ludicrous it was.

She continued to watch the two hybrids for a few hours though neither really did anything. Danny or Vlad would say something that would peak Maddie's interest but nothing ghostly was really said or done. It was near dinnertime when the conversation began to pick up again.

"Have you thought of anything to say, little badger?" Vlad inquired finally growing bored of reading the newspaper and small talk with Danny.

"Yeah but you will probably just turn it down." Danny grumbled as he continued to pace around the room. A mixture of irritation and frustration in his voice.

"We will never know if I turn it down or not unless you tell me, dear boy." Vlad lightly informed Danny as he focused completely on the teen.

"Well, since I can't make one excuse for everything you just tell mom I didn't say anything and when you tried to push it I shut down on you. It'll push the problem off until I think of something better." Danny paused in his pacing to meet Vlad's eyes.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the idea. It actually wasn't half-bad. It would give Daniel and him time to come up with something better. Vlad didn't want to admit it but it was a good idea. After all, an answer was inevitable so why not push it off for as long as they could. A smirk appeared on Vlad's face as he looked at Danny. "Not bad Daniel, we will go with that for now until something better is thought up."

Danny's face brightened in surprise that Vlad didn't crush his idea with vengeance. "Really? You'll go with it?"

Vlad chuckled lightly, "don't be so surprised, little badger; this is what happens when you actually think things out." Just then, Vlad looked up at the wall then glanced over at Danny as he gasped. Cold air escaped his mouth and he looked at the wall Vlad was looking at. "Let's wait and see who it is before you jump into action." Vlad advised.

A few seconds later Skulker flew through the wall his face twisted as if he was searching for something. He turned his head down at Danny and smiled like the devil himself.

"Skulker!" Danny exclaimed getting in a fighting stance ready to go ghost and fight Skulker.

"There you are, Whelp. I Skulker, the greatest hunter in all of the Ghost Zone, has come for your pelt once more." Skulker said his routine introduction before an ecto-gun aimed itself at Danny. Suddenly, Vlad cleared his throat loudly to get Skulker's attention. "Plasmius!" Skulker exclaimed finally realizing his employer was in the room.

"Do you mind? Daniel and I were having a discussion." Vlad got up from the table and walked over to stand next to Danny who relaxed slightly but was still ready to morph at any moment. "Don't you have something to do? Hmm?" He asked Skulker handing him a letter he pulled out of his suit.

"Oh yeah." Skulker mumbled unhappily taking the letter before turning back to Danny. "I'll be back for your pelt later, Whelp." Skulker threatened before leaving the room.

Vlad watched, as Danny was ready to go after Skulker until Vlad held him back lightly but firmly. "Skulker is going to the Ghost Zone to get something for me; the door is locked in case you didn't know so if Maddie walks in to find a ghost instead of you she'll get suspicious."

"What are you planning, Plasmius?" Danny spat out as he turned to Vlad suspicion in his own baby blue eyes.

"Don't worry Daniel just some ghost plants I wanted for my herb garden." Vlad informed the boy. "The letter I gave him simply contained pictures and information on the plants I wanted." Vlad decided not to mention the note also contained a warning if Skulker showed up to hunt Daniel this month but the boy didn't need to know that. "It's not like I'm going to do anything to your family like force you and Jasmine to fight." Vlad rolled his eyes. "We saw how well that worked out."

Danny laughed as Vlad attempted to reassure the boy as he thought of that incident. "Jazz, no!" Danny pretended to sound scare as he waved his hands to mimic his words before he succumbed to a fit of laughter. "You should have seen your face when you tried to surprise Jazz by going ghost! Then the thing freaking blew up in your face!" Danny gasped out in between his fits of laughter.

Vlad gazed at the boy as he clutched his sides again with faint annoyance. "At least everyone in the Ghost Zone doesn't hate me." Vlad grumbled out his mouth twitched up into a small smile.

"Hey!" Danny exclaimed after he calmed down laughing. "I have some friends in the Ghost Zone. At least Klemper doesn't bother me everyday to be his friend." Danny shot back humor in his eyes.

Vlad grumbled at Danny's reminder. The Box Ghost was far less annoying than Klemper was. For the past year, Klemper has shown up at Vlad house wanting to be his friend as much as the Box Ghost appears in front of Danny. "Touché."

"Well, I don't really want to be here all day so could you contact mom or whatever and tell her I'm not cracking." Danny suggested as he sat down again.

"Are you upset I have her number?" Vlad teased as he waved the slip of paper in front of Danny.

Danny glanced at the number then looked at the man before him. Danny smiled before mimicking Vlad's voice. "Why Vlad, I thought you would have realized that this is not Maddie's number, my dear Fruitloop." Danny couldn't help but smile as Vlad's face became that of a little kid who got the wrong toy for his birthday. "It's probably a throw away phone." Danny offered up in a failed attempt to cheer Vlad up. Then again, Danny wasn't really trying to cheer him up.

Vlad sighed deeply before he dialed the number. It rang a few times before Maddie picked up. "Oh Maddie, I'm sorry to say Daniel just won't budge. I tried to find out what was wrong with the dear boy but he is refusing to talk to me."

Maddie watched the two as she spoke to Vlad on the phone knowing she wouldn't get any more information tonight. "Alright Vlad, I'll come unlock the door." She hung up on Vlad before turning to Mr. Lancer. "Do you mind taking the equipment back to your house to go over later with me Mr. Lancer?" Maddie asked the teacher as she cut off the recorders.

"No problem Mrs. Fenton. See you in a few hours." Mr. Lancer replied and watched as Maddie left the room.

The door made a soft click and Maddie opened the door for Vlad to walk out and later Danny. "Let's get you two home and settled in so I can pack." Maddie told the two hybrids as she guided them out of the school. His driver dropped off Vlad so he hitched a ride with Maddie and Danny. The conversation was light though Danny was still puzzled about why Vlad was tagging along.

"Why are you coming to our house?" He finally asked Vlad abruptly.

"I asked Vlad to watch over you and Jazz while I'll be gone the rest of the month." Maddie reminded Danny lightly.

"Yeah, but you didn't say it was going to be Vlad!" Danny tried to argue with his mom. The thought of Vlad being at Fenton Works was revolting. On top of that, he would be there for a month!

"Danny!" Maddie reprimanded sternly but not as fierce as she usually did. She sighed as Danny shut his mouth slightly annoyed at her response and kept silent. Before Danny turned his head away, he glared at Vlad who gave him a look back. Maddie couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at their reactions.

Once everyone was home and settled in, Maddie packed all the things she needed and made dinner one last time for the month for Danny, Jazz and Vlad. It was Danny's favorite: lasagna. It was one of the few things Maddie didn't put ectoplasm in plus she knew how Danny likes pasta, it was a way to make it up to him. Once everyone was fed including herself, she headed off to Mr. Lancer's house though she didn't tell them that. They set up a room to watch the footage they received live and recorded so they could look at it later. Maddie still wasn't sure what Danny's problem was but she knew on thing for sure. Ghosts were involved along with Vlad. Danny and Vlad appeared to know a lot more about ghosts than even Jack or herself knew, and she wanted to know why.

**2**

**Plan B**

It was the day after Maddie and Mr. Lancer observed Danny's and Vlad's reactions and choice of topics in the classroom. It was about two hours until noon as Danny came thumping down the steps still waking up. He had fought about two ghosts during the night, which was far less than what he usually had. Luckily, this allowed the boy to catch up a little on much needed sleep. Vlad was already awake, positioned comfortable on the couch sipping on a cup of coffee as he read the newspaper. He appeared to have made himself quite at home only in a short span. Unfortunately, for Danny, Jazz went to the library to work on her thesis paper, which left the two hybrids in the house alone. Vlad glanced over a Danny a pompous smile sat on his face as he watched the teen in his groggy trance make his way downstairs oblivious to Vlad's presence. It only took a millisecond for Vlad to decide to mess with the poor teen. This time he pretended to read his newspaper, flipping a page, but his eyes were watching Danny like a hawk for his reaction. Very casually, as if it was a normal occurrence Vlad greeted the boy with a simple, "good morning, Daniel."

"Morning, Vlad." Danny said equally casually not realizing what he was saying as he rubbed his eye venturing into the kitchen for food. A few seconds ticked by until Danny realized what he said. "Vlad!" He said alarmed once he realized Vlad was in the house. "What are you doing here?"

Just when Danny thought Vlad's smile couldn't get any bigger, he was proven wrong. "Why Daniel, I'm supposed to babysitting you and Jasmine for a month, don't you remember?" Vlad didn't even and try to hide his smile as he gave the teen a condescending look.

Danny was about to protest when he finally remembered all of what happened yesterday. Grumbling to himself, he went back into the kitchen to make breakfast. Today would be a long day. After breakfast, Danny was not sure what to do. He didn't want to leave Vlad alone in the house without somebody watching him in case he is planning anything but Danny didn't want to watch him. Fortunately, He could wait on deciding later for he gasped lightly when his ghost sense went off. Letting out a moan of displeasure he grabbed the thermos and trudged out side. Vlad watched the entire act with a small smirk on his lips. A flash lit up the back window before Danny went off to fight a ghost.

Maddie watched the live video with Mr. Lancer with a critical eye. Danny was acting fairly normal until he gasped. On closer look, Mr. Lancer was able to see Danny's breath. "He does that before he asks to use the restroom." Mr. Lancer muttered but Maddie heard it anyway. She glanced over at the man slightly surprised he wasn't shouting book titles like usual. She looked back down at here notes from yesterday. Much of the conversation involved ghosts. If these things were somehow connected that would mean Danny could sense ghosts. Nobody else in the family could do that so it probably wasn't genetic. Maddie sighed writing the question down. Unfortunately, Maddie only had visual cameras inside the house so she had no idea what that flash was other than it had to do something with Danny. Jotting this down, she turned her attention to the bug she placed on Danny and began to listen.

"Hello misplaced aggression." Danny's voice came through the speaker, however, his voice echoed. Finding this strange, she adjusted the speaker but it wasn't on her end.

"Beware! I am the Box Ghost. I control all things-," suddenly the ghost was cut off with a grunt as Danny began to attack the ghost.

Maddie listened intently, worried about Danny for whenever a ghost showed up he would always act scared of them and run away. Strangely, Danny sought out the ghost to capture it. It took Jack and Maddie at least two hours to possibly catch this ghost and even then, it usually got away.

"Noooooooooo," a long drawn out yell was suddenly silenced as a cap, Maddie assumed the thermos, was closed tightly.

"Stupid Box Ghost," Danny's voiced echoed as she rattled the thermos slightly before apparently making his leave.

Maddie sat there with her mouth hanging open. Her son not only captured the ghost in record time but also used the supposedly non-functional thermos to capture the ghost. In addition to this, Danny didn't even seem the least bit scared of the ghost; in fact, he sounded irritated! Maddie still slightly shocked got her brain to function again. Either Danny was pretending to be afraid of ghosts or he was being overshadowed. She highly doubted the latter, due to the evidence of fights he had would show with bruises and cuts that were hidden under his shirt. This could only mean one thing. Her baby boy was fighting ghosts. "He's hunting ghosts." Maddie sat their dumbstruck as Mr. Lancer considered what she said.

"If he was fighting ghosts that would explain were he went once he excused himself from class but nobody has ever seen him fight, quite the opposite." Mr. Lancer replied thoughtfully as he watched Maddie make a small bubble diagram on her sheet with 'ghost hunting' labeled in the middle and questions surrounding the subject in other bubbles. She glanced at the monitor to she Danny entered the house with no injuries. Apparently, Danny was hunting stronger ghosts to get hurt like he does.

"Which ghost was it?" Vlad asked casually setting the paper down to look at Danny once, he entered the house.

"Box Ghost, why do you care?" Danny questioned Vlad but there was no echo in his voice any longer.

"It was just a casual question, dear boy" Vlad rolled his eyes as he got up to follow Danny into the kitchen to the lab. "Letting him go so soon? If you keep him in here you won't have to deal with that annoying ghost anymore."

Danny glanced back at Vlad like he was crazy. "Vlad, both of us have been in this thing before it's not comfortable at all. There is only one ghost I keep in a thermos." Danny muttered darkly but Vlad heard him anyway.

"Which ghost?" Vlad asked genuinely curious. What ghost did Daniel not wish to fight again? Vlad watched as Danny froze at the question as fear quickly fluttered across his gaze before it hardened and turned to Vlad.

"Like I'd tell you." He snapped but Vlad just shrugged it off for now though he was worried by the boy's reaction. "You also said you have been in the thermos before?" Vlad smiled as Danny slapped his face silently cursing himself for both slipups. He sent a glare Vlad's way before he entered the lab and went to the portal. Vlad's smile fell slightly went the teen didn't answer as he released the Box Ghost into the Ghost Zone. "What are you going to do today?" Vlad asked in attempts to start a conversation with his little badger.

"Like you care." Danny just snapped back irritated before he entered the living room and went to head up the stair but before he even went up the first step Vlad's voice caused him to stop.

"Daniel," Vlad growled as his eyes flashed red. He waited for Danny to turn around before continuing. "In case you can't get it through that thick head of yours I do care. Why else would I try to get you to be by my side? In addition to this, you will be sadly mistaken if you plan to be disrespectful while I am watching you. You better heed my warning because if you don't and continue to act this way it will result in punishment."

"Fine," Danny spat holding back his seething anger. The only way Vlad could tell he was angry were his eyes turning a radioactive green. "But if you do care, you sure don't act like it." He mumbled before turning around to go up stairs. "I'll be playing video games if you need me."

Vlad sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This would be a perfect time to get Daniel to his side since his parents aren't here. Vlad went up the Danny's room and knocked on the door. "May I come in?"

"What do want?" Danny asked through the door.

"I wanted to talk." Vlad answered but not in his normal pompous voice. Resisting the urge to yell and Danny when he heard him mutter "Fruitloop," the door opened and Danny returned to playing video games.

Vlad walked in and sat on the bed. Now that he was here, he had no idea how to start. Luckily, Danny's ghost sense went off. He let out a small huff he muttered "hold on, I'll be right back," to Vlad before grabbing the thermos and opening the window. He looked around outside to make sure it was clear before jumping out the window in human form. A quick flash and Phantom was flying to the location of the ghost. Vlad stayed seated on the bed wondering why Danny didn't just transform in his room like he would normally do.

Maddie watched these events unfold worried for her son as he jumped out of the window. She was even more worried over the fact that he had been in the Fenton Thermos before. Only ghosts could be sucked into those things. Does that mean Danny is a ghost? Maddie suddenly thought back to the Ghost Portal incident. Danny had explained to her that he accidentally hit a button and it turned on but he claimed he was outside the portal. What if he was inside? With this in mind, Maddie wrote down a few more notes concerning her thoughts and listened to her son fight another ghost. This one seemed to be stronger for it took him longer and he grunted a few times as if he was hit. She watched as he entered the house once more. This time he was ruffed up and there was a gash in his t-shirt. Blood stained his shirt making her worry for her baby boy. Vlad must have heard the door close and came down stair to see Danny.

Vlad followed Danny into the kitchen to see him pull out the first aid kit. Without a word, Vlad walked over and began to pull out a few things to patch Danny up. "What are you doing?" Danny asked disgruntled but slightly curious.

"What does it look like I'm doing dear boy?" Vlad replied but cut Danny off as he opened his mouth to protest. "Just humor me." Vlad smiled in victory when Danny closed his mouth and complied to Vlad's request. "I'll be back in a second." Vlad suddenly vanished and came back. He was slightly out of breath but in his hand were a few picked glowing leaves.

"Care to explain what you are doing?" Danny asked eyeing the plant suspiciously, as Vlad began to get out a bowl and mix a few things together with the leaves.

"As you can tell by the glow this is a ghost plant. It contains certain properties that can heal a ghost or half ghost such as ourselves without any side effects. However, it needs to be cooled in order to become a crème. I'll put it on your wound later to make sure it heals properly." Vlad said as he was about to put the mix into the fridge by Danny stopped him.

"Can I see that? Besides, it's really unnecessary because my wound will just heal in an hour or two anyway, remember. Half-ghost, accelerated healing? Ring any bells?" Danny asked with slight amusement in his voice as he took the bowl from Vlad. "How cold do you need it?" he asked as Vlad just raised an eyebrow. Danny gave Vlad a mischievous smile, he had no idea Danny had ice powers. "Ice powers, remember Vlad? I thought you would have already have known due to you always spying on me."

"It needs to just get cold enough to solidify it but not enough to freeze it. Daniel, do you really think I spend all day watching you? I'm a busy man running my companies." Vlad countered Danny's tease and watched as the teen's hand glowed a blue as the mixture was quickly cooled into a crème. Once it was the right consistency, Vlad stirred it a bit before applying it to Danny's wound. "I'll be cold but you should have already expected that."

Danny seemed unaffected by the cold due to his cold core but he informed Vlad anyway. "I have a cold core. Cold doesn't affect me unless it starts getting into well below the negatives. That's probably the opposite for your hot core." Danny rolled his eyes before continuing, "Why did you want to patch me up anyway? I could have done it myself and there is nothing in it for you."

"You are correct about our cores, Daniel. There is something in it for me to patch you up, peace of mind. Which ghost was it anyway, hmm?"

"Bertrand."

Maddie paused where she was hearing nothing more but "half-ghost like ourselves". Is being a half-ghost even possible? Maddie paused for a moment pondering this. First, she thought of what both Daniel and Vlad had in common. She quickly came up with being hit with ectoplasm, that is, if Danny was inside the portal when it turned on. Hypothetically speaking if that were true then the ectoplasm would strap onto their DNA and rearrange the molecules thus making them half ghost. However, a normal human would have died instantly unless the conditions were just right. If by some fluke they were that would mean the ectoplasm only killed half of them creating a ghost form they could transform into. By the way Vlad and Danny were speaking, that is exactly what seemed to happen.

"Is a half-ghost possible?" Mr. Lancer looked over at Maddie. Little did he know that he just voiced the very thing Maddie was speculating herself.

There was a pause before Maddie answered, "Under the right circumstances I suppose so. If this was true, they would have a ghost form but it would be more intricate than a normal ghost."

"Would they be recognizable in their ghost form?" Mr. Lancer further inquired attempting to understand the vast meaning of what Vlad and Danny had said.

"Possibly but it depends on how ghostly they look." Maddie explained though she wasn't quite sure.

**3**

**Discover**

Three weeks have passed as Maddie and Mr. Lancer have been observing Vlad and Danny. They only had one more week left to figure out what was wrong with Danny. Jazz seemed to know what was going on with the two men but appeared non-caring about the subject. Whatever the problem was it was revolving around ghost. Vlad and Danny seemed to have warmed up to each other to at least a casual conversation without shooting ectoblasts at each other. However, they never switch into their ghost forms in the house so Maddie couldn't see which ghosts were Danny and Vlad. Nevertheless, they did talk about ghosts and such often-leading Maddie to believe they knew more about ghost than Jack or her. It was bizarre seeing green ecto-energy encasing Danny's hand and shooting out of his entire hand or just a finger. The two hybrids would have a small war occasionally pretending their hands were guns and shot ectoblasts at each other like a western. It was quite amusing actually. It was around lunch by the time anything new happened. Vlad was already at the table eating when Danny came in Jazz kept herself busy at the library most of the time so it was just Vlad and Danny together.

"Hey Vlad…" Danny was making himself a sandwich when he finally broke the comfortable silence. His face was slightly red in embarrassment but he already started there was no going back now.

"hmm?" Vlad hummed looking up at the blushing teen.

"I was wondering if you would like to…to practice your powers with me," Danny struggled to formulate the question without actually saying it out right. He mentally cursed himself didn't sound any better. He refused to meet Vlad's eyes and continued to put the sandwich stuff away.

"Daniel, look at me." Vlad commanded softly making it impossible for the teen to disobey. Vlad smiled warmly, a genuine smile Danny never seen on Vlad before. "I would love to."

Danny blinked a few times in surprise. "Really? No catch or anything?"

"No, not this time. I'm just happy to be spending time with my little badger. We can start after lunch if you would like to." Vlad suggested as he slowly bit into his own sandwich. A smile the big a Russia planted on his face. Vlad didn't want to be the villain the boy saw him as. No, he just wanted the boy to see him as a father. This was definite progress. The only real reason the boy saw him as a villain was due to him trying to kill Jack and marry his mother but he felt as if he could give those up for the boy. Daniel saw everything in black and white he failed to see the gray area, which was Vlad for the most part.

Danny couldn't help but smile back at Vlad's own happy expression. He usually only made adults worry it was refreshing to know there was one that he could make happy. Excitement welled up inside him as he thought of all the cool things he could learn from Vlad. In fact, Vlad was the reason why he focused on making duplications. So far, he could only make one really good one or two decent ones depending on his concentration and energy. After lunch, Vlad transformed into his ghost form in the house and as soon as he did alarms went off and attempted to catch Vlad. Danny quickly found the off switch and turned it off.

"What was that?" Vlad asked slightly startled as he floated down next to Danny.

Unfazed by Vlad's ghost form he shrugged apologetically. "My parents installed a new system to capture ghosts. Tucker hasn't come over here yet to make it ignore certain ecto-signatures yet. Luckily it doesn't attack us in our human form."

"Could have warned me. So that is why you didn't morph in the house." Vlad mused to himself.

"It's going ghost." Danny corrected a small smirk played on his lips.

"dear boy I believe it's morph." Vlad counter corrected.

"Going ghost."

"Morph"

Vlad and Danny continued to have this argument both smiling but determined to win as Maddie watched with her mouth hanging open. Vlad was the Wisconsin Ghost. He was the one to overshadow Jack and capture Maddie. Now that she thought about it, when Jack caught her he said "mom". Was that Danny overshadowing Jack to catch her?

"Well we know which ghost is Mr. Masters now." Mr. Lancer mused but then was thoughtful. "Didn't Mr. Masters only really pick on Phantom when he was over here?"

Maddie though about this for a moment before agreeing. Did that mean Danny was Phantom? Fenton, _Phantom._ They both sounded similar and they both had the same first name. No, Danny couldn't be that evil ghost. However, Phantom always claimed to be 'good'. Maddie continued to debate this back and forth unsure of what to do. If it was Danny then that would mean Phantom was good and she would have been hunting her own son. She stared back at the screen and watched as if in slow motion as a brilliant whit ring formed around Danny's waste, splitting in half and traveling in opposite directions. She had seen these thousands of times on Phantom when he was near unconsciousness. Nevertheless, ghosts were unable to be conscious. Maddie watched on with dread as the transformation was complete and instead of her son standing there it was Phantom.

Mr. Lancer was surprised but part of him was not after all the speculation. Almost like a predictable book, one could guess the ending after enough information was given halfway through the book. Like most people, they would continue reading it until the end just to make sure. As Danny finished transforming, Mr. Lancer knew he reached the end of the book. Now was time to move on to the next one in the series.

Both adults watched as Vlad and Danny phased through the house and into the sky. "It all makes sense now." Maddie spoke so low Mr. lancer almost didn't hear her. This explained why Danny was always late for things, always getting beat up, always making excuses. He was hunting ghosts in his own way. They had discovered what they needed to know.

"Where do we go from here?" Mr. Lancer asked as he took a sip of his coffee watching as Maddie arranged all of her data.

"I'm no sure. Now that we know Vlad and Danny is part ghost, I'm unsure if we should confront them or not. There is just so much I have yet to grasp." Maddie spoke as if she hadn't slept in days with a hint of defeat. In reality, she didn't get much sleep due to Danny and Vlad always being on her mind as she struggled to figure them out. They had one more week left before Jack came home and Vlad left. Would it be wise to confront Danny as a ghost or human? Should she even confront Vlad? Should she confront either of them with Mr. Lancer? As these questions swirled around in her head, Mr. Lancer had a few of his own about confronting the boy.

"I think I'll go back home claiming my trip ended early and just see if there is an opportunity to approach either of them though I'm not sure if I should talk to Vlad. I'll call you in a few days and let you know if I think it's safe to confront Danny." Maddie concluded as she began to pack up all the equipment. "I'll come back in a day or two and pick the rest of this up." With that being said, the two adults departed after a short farewell. Maddie made it home by the time Danny and Vlad made it back to the house.

"Maddie, you're back early." Vlad sounded disappointed when Maddie entered the house and greeted Vlad.

"My trip was shorted but nothing to worry about. Where are Jazz and Danny?" Maddie asked casually as she began to head upstairs to unpack.

"Jasmine is at the library as usual and Daniel is sleeping in his room. He has had a long try not and disturb the dear boy." Vlad genuinely friendly though anyone could see he was disappointed to see Maddie back so early.

After Maddie finished unpacking she peaked in on Danny to see him sleeping peacefully in his bed. Satisfied, she made her way back downstairs to talk to Vlad. "The kids weren't too much trouble I hope." Maddie asked watching Vlad set down his newspaper to talk to her once she sat down.

"Jasmine was well behaved and Daniel warmed up to me at about the two week mark. We had a wonderful time together." Vlad's face was relaxed when he spoke with a softened glazed over look as he remembered what all happened between him and Daniel. The corners of his lips perked up in a small smile as he remembered the events.

Maddie had never seen Vlad so happy and relaxed as he was now. It was nice to see. "You look better when you smile like that." Maddie commented but not in a flirtatious manner.

"Daniel said the same thing." Vlad mused as he looked over at Maddie. "It was nice to be around the kids. If you ever need a sitter, again feel free to ask. I'll make my leave when Daniel wakes up so I can tell him good-bye."

"Since I did come home earlier, if you want, you can stay an extra day or two." Maddie offered silently hoping he would take the offer. It would be easier to confront both hybrids together. After seeing Vlad, so relaxed Maddie decided she would tell him too. "I thought you two would be interested in how my tip went."

"I would love to stay another day or two!" Maddie didn't think Vlad's smile could get any bigger but it somehow did.

**4**

**Confrontation**

It was the second day Maddie had returned and she sat Danny and Vlad down in the living room to talk to them. Jazz was elsewhere. Maddie saw this easier than trying to stop Jazz from protecting her brother. It was slightly after they ate lunch and the sun streamed through the windows. It was summer time but thankfully not too hot today. Normally Maddie would open a few windows but this conversation couldn't risk anybody listening in. Vlad and Danny sat on the same couch comfortably while Maddie sat in front of them.

"When I begin to tell you about my trip I hope you understand I will not allow any interruptions. Are we clear?" Maddie looked at both hybrids making sure they nodded in understanding before she plunged into her story. "My trip wasn't very interesting really but what I discovered was the main point. I spent time as a friends house in Amity Park so I wasn't that far away. However, we were working on an experiment together to figure out a certain someone." Maddie paused for a moment when she caught Danny tense slightly. Vlad glanced over at Danny as she continued. "Anyway, this person we were attempting to figure out is very closed mouthed about their life but more importantly their problems and secrets. In order to get this person to speak we needed an emotional reaction. In order to do this, I invited a person who gets under the other's skin to get them to talk. At first the conversation was all cryptic and impossible to follow due to us not knowing this secret." Maddie paused again as she got into it. She smiled slightly as Danny began to squirm, knowing it was about him and Vlad. Vlad however, put on an indifferent face but looked at her with interest. "We had to be patient and wait for the two people to slip up. After about three weeks, this happened. However, what they suggested was near impossible. Not knowing whether to believe what they said or seek help for them, I waited for evidence. Eventually, my patience paid off and I got the proof I needed. They were telling the truth. All the strange behaviors the person we were originally attempting to figure out connected and made sense. The other one was still a slight mystery but not enough to worry about for now. Once I discovered this, I came home to the two people I found so confusing and mysterious. With this secret uncovered, I am willing to listen to their side of the story."

Maddie finished her story and watched, as Danny looked extremely uncomfortable about this. Danny had quickly connected the dots together and understood whom I was talking about due to his street smarts. Unlike Jazz, who was more of the academic type and failed at connecting the dots unless it was obvious. Vlad was a combination of the two. He knew who I was talking about but kept calm and indifferent. He wanted me to tell him what I discovered to know if it was the secret, he was guarding. Danny was about to open his mouth but Vlad quickly cut him off.

"What secret is this, hmm?" Vlad questioned, raising an eyebrow as he waited for my response.

"That you two are part-ghost." Maddie replied without missing a beat as she looked at Vlad carefully gauging his reaction. "The Wisconsin Ghost and Phantom, to be exact," she informed him, also noticing Danny freeze when his other half was named. Danny wasn't my problem at the moment for he could be read like a book.

"Well since you aren't pointing a gun in my face or looking at me with hatred I assume you except this fact." Vlad answered smoothly.

Maddie was quite surprised Vlad didn't reject her accusation but rolled with it. "No, it was our fault for what happened to you two and there is no way it could be reversed completely due to the change on a molecular level." She finished sounding slightly defeated. "All I can ask for is undesired forgiveness for I had been so blind I never realized what happened to you two. Maybe I just didn't want to notice, I don't know."

"Don't." Danny spoke his curled up form began to straighten out. "There is nothing to be sorry for. You told me not to go near the portal and I disobeyed. It is my own fault for what happened to me. Besides, even if I could go back and change what happened I wouldn't for the world." Danny smiled at his mom then added. "I guess this solves the whole awkward talk with my parents about this situation. Now we only have to tell Dad."

"Daniel is right, it's not your fault." Vlad assured Maddie then added silently to himself 'it's Jack's fault'. "I actions may be unjust or evil at times as a ghost but I do have my reasons. I can only hope you can understand, my dear."

"If Danny doesn't have a problem with you then I won't either." Maddie informed Vlad.

"Now that that's settled. I, unfortunately, have things to do now." Vlad stood up and morphed into his ghost form. "Before I go, Maddie, my dear, it's Plasmius, not the Wisconsin Ghost." Vlad corrected her before leaving Fenton Works.

This left Maddie and Danny in the house by themselves. "Now, time to tell Dad." Danny said as Vlad flew off. He paused for a moment then turned to his mom. "Who was the friend you were with anyway?"

"Mr. Lancer." Maddie responded sheepishly.

Danny just smacked his head and muttered, "of course."

* * *

**The indention of the paragraphs got slightly messed up, but that's only minor. I hope you enjoyed the story. I have an idea for another, probably a longer story, but it will take sometime so don't get too pumped just yet. If you have any suggestions on story topics feel free to inform me. I'll probably make them one-shots unless the people want more. I won't poor you with my babbling and uninteresting comments so I'll make this quick. Thanks for reading.**

**Ghostfudge160**


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